MANY CHILDREN dream of being teachers when they grow up. They play teacher at home with siblings and stuffed animals, grade papers, teach lessons, and imagine themselves behind the desk and at the whiteboard. But stuffed animals and siblings don’t always give the correct answers or cooperate, leaving a gap in the dream.
For those who make it to high school with the dream intact, Cascade High School’s Career & Technical Education (CTE) path, Teaching as a Profession, offers an inside-out look at daily life as a teacher. It’s eye-opening, and it has the potential to reach back into the community.
The classes are instructed by Wendy Williams, who taught at the elementary level for 12 years before branching out on a new adventure in the high school CTE classroom. Former Principal Josh Young approached Williams about starting a teacher-teaching course.
“Mr. Young was really big on the Grow Your Own idea, where we needed to start promoting education as a viable option for our students. I jumped at the chance because teaching is my passion, and I love to share how much I love it and how I feel called to do it. I’ve really enjoyed building this program up,” Williams said.
Cascade’s program is the only one in Bedford County and is not widely offered in our area. Shelbyville Central High School has an Educational Therapy and Support path that focuses more on careers in guidance counseling and social services school personnel positions.
Some students find that it confirms their desire to teach while helping them fine-tune which subjects or grades they most want to pursue. For others, the courses offer important education about how the brain works, especially in children. They learn how this development influences their behavior and learning styles and understand how life outside the classroom further shapes a child’s learning and social interaction.
Other students are still unsure of their career choice but know they want to work with children. Some are considering pursuing nursing or jobs in social work and find the classes to be equally impactful.
Even those still unsure about their future fields of employment find that the information better prepares them for parenting the children they’ll have one day.
Williams also hopes these classes will remind some that they can pursue a career in education after trying jobs in other areas and industries. “Maybe at some point in their life, they may recall how they really enjoyed working with students. It might bring somebody back here at a later time,” she said.
The first year focuses on the psychology of learning, child development, and related concepts. The second year explores special needs, special populations, and how outside influences impact learning. Williams and her students spend time once a week in a Cascade Elementary classroom in the second year. The third year increases students’ time in the elementary classrooms to three times a week, where they see the concepts they’re learning play out.
Williams said, “It’s building relationships between the high schoolers and the elementary school, and the teachers are building relationships with my students. It’s been very encouraging, and my students have gotten a lot out of it.”
Reflections submitted by current students support the impact the classes are making.
• The Teaching as a Profession program has been a big eye-opener on how I view teachers and what they have to do to be able to teach all different types of children. This program has shown me that I do not want to teach the grade I originally wanted to teach. I think it is an amazing program, and all schools should have it! -Emily, 12th grade
• I have gained a new perspective on how kids, schools, and ourselves function. In the future, whether I’m a teacher or not, this class can help me understand humanity as a whole. -Kelsey, 10th grade
• My experience in this class has helped me gain a better understanding of the education field. I believe the knowledge I have obtained in this class will help me in the field of nursing. The knowledge of psychology and emotions will help me as a nurse and parent. -Hailey, 11th grade
• Even if my pathway does not involve teaching kids, it has helped me know how to treat children and be a better parent. -Savannah, 11th grade
Ten years from now, I can look back and know this was the path I always chose to go from the very beginning. -Dynaeja, 10th grade
Williams said, “Sadly, our society’s not promoting becoming teachers, so we’re trying to promote it from within, giving them the option to learn more about what it’s like while they are with us. These students show great potential, and we hope they will come back and work here in Bedford County. In the past, we have struggled to get new teachers because some of the surrounding counties offer things that seem very enticing. We want to promote this area and show our students what we have to offer. I think it’s a pretty great place to be, and I hope my students will see that as well.”
It’s a program offering a better future for Bedford County and students who may come full circle one day. GN
